6xStang

So, about sixweeks ago, I go to start the car ( '06 GT premium vert with shaker 500; no mods 'cept stingers) after sitting in garage unlocked for 22 days (Shaker was "on"when car was shut down). Dead as a doornail. When I hooked it up for a jump start, I thought I heard, for a split second, a weak sounding "horn honk" from the rear of the car. After about 5 minutes on my cheap cables, it started right up. No problems; indicator on battery back to "green."

Fast forward a few weeks; time to park the car again for a couple weeks; this time I remember to turn shaker off, and I hook up a Schumacher 2 amp battery charger/maintainer. Before I leave, I keep an eye on the charger; it charges for a while, then goes to "green" (charged) mode. Away I go.

Fast forward 2 weeks (yesterday). I go to start the car; charger has both green and yellow lights on. Battery is DEAD. So, after scratching my head, I hook up a different battery maintainer (don't ask). This time it's the Black and Decker 1 amp model. As soon as I hook it up, I hear a constant weak horn honk sound from the rear of the car. It sounded like it was coming from under the car near the rear tires. I open the trunk, and the sound is reverberating everywhere. Fuel pump, I wonder? Dunno. didn't sound good, so I shut the charger down before I did any damage.

I get the jumper cables; as soon as I hook it up, I just get that honk sound for a split second again; I let the battery charge on the cables for 5 minutes, and it starts right up again.

So...now I am baffled. This is a Ford warranty problem, of course, but since it seems like the Ford guys need some help with this stuff so I am trying to figure out some possibilities. I shouldn't be the fuel pump because I would hear that noise all the time. But...that is the only thing that I can think of back there that would make a noise like that when it gets voltage....and it makes sense that it turns off after a split second once the system is pressurized.

Anybody else have any thought on this? This one has me stumped...and I would like to minimize my trips to the dealer...

Silver Ponys

There is a horn in the trunk that has to do with the alarm system

jbailer

I had problems with my 06 GT battery dying. Then finally one day when I went to charge it the alternator went up in smoke- literally. I had the battery checked, it was dead. I replaced the battery and alternator and haven't had a problem since. -Joe

6xStang

That makes sense; anybody else with the factory alarm having the dead battery problem? and...if so....do you hear a short honk when you jump start it?

MBDiagMan

It will not be a big deal for the Ford Techs to figure out.

FYI When a battery is stone cold dead, and the car is jumped without charging the battery, the load on the alternator to totally recharge the battery is tremendous. In hot weather especially, this can do damage to the alternator.

Good luck,

6xStang

Update....sort of. Car has been at dealer since wednesday. Everything tests "fine." They have called the ford Tech hotline to discuss the problem; Ford hotline says everything is normal....and that batteries die after a couple of weeks of non-use.

Dealer says no, that's not right.....dealer knows (and customer knows) that cars sit for much longer than 2 weeks without battery becoming stone dead. Dealer also says "and we have two different GT verts owned by two different customers with the same problem."

Dealer wants to do the right thing, but doesn't know what the problem is. Ford may send engineer to dealer to inspect.

More to come.

Rrruss

This may sound too simple, but do you have a passively armed alarm system? (it automatically "kills" the ignition a short time after the car is turned off).

My car sits in the garage most of the time, usually unlocked, and every once in awhile I will jump in to start it up and if Ihave not driven it in a while it takes me a moment to remember that I have to unlock it to reset the ignition bypass even though the doors were already unlocked. Once I evenwent to hook up the charger when I realized I had forgotten to hit the unlock button(the car had been sitting for over a month that time, so I assumed the battery had discharged, when in fact it was ok).

6xStang

good thought....but car was totally dead; no lights no buzzers and hitting the unlock did nothing since there was no power to operate the receiver.

I do have the alarm sustem and I am wondering if that is where the problem lies, since as soon as I apply any power to the battery, the alarm horn honks.

But....the Tech's at ford assured me that is normal. According tot hem, erverything tests fine, but they do beleive that there is a problem. Somewhere. They just can't figure out where. And, the ford techs in Dearborn are "working on it, " but I am not too optimistic.

Car is 7 months old. The way I figure it, I am two jumpstarts away from Lemon Law arbitration. I certainly hope it doesn't come to that as I like the car. And this is probably a minor issue in some respects but I am not about to drive a >$30K "Maybe Machine" (Maybe it will start, Maybe it won't).

mail906

This is really the point - yet another example where Ford needs to step up an solve the problem.

I had a buddy with aBMW 325 convertible - same story; occasional driver and the battery went dead after sitting in the garage. Took it back to the dealer 2 or 3 times and they could not figure it out. The problem went all the way back to Germany [sold I was told] and the Germansanalyzed the cr*p out of the vehicle. This took some time.

Turns out - for a reason I do not understand - the battery on this particular vehicle (325) will die if the car is leftturned off with the key in the ignition. That is how my buddy stored it by the way [upscale area - parked in the garage - key in the ignition]. The dealer called and asked him if he did this after they heard from Germany; and was told not to do it again. Never had another problem.BMW then notified all of their dealers [again so I was told]. There weresimply unwilling to have their reputation scullied by owners who could say their batterys go dead.

This is what Ford needs to do - step up and stand behind its products. To think that owners with brand new Mustangs have batteries that go dead, or a passenger compartments that can leak water from multiple points is simply absurb. It's no wonder they are struggling.

It's almost amazing thatsome Ford engineer hasn't jumped on here and saidthat they've never heard of this problem; and that it can't possibly be happening to anyone but the 1 guy who put up the thread. That's what they've said about the passenger water leak situation along with theFord customer service hot line. Now we're told Ford is writing a [yet-to-be-seen] TSB on it.

dirtydeedsinc

My car sits for a minimum of 14 days without being cranked and the battery doesn't die. Looks like that may be longer this month. I do not and will not get an alarm system though. I park at a heliport and I'm sure the choppers would set it off daily. I did look at some Mustangs at Westway Ford in Irving before I bought mine. All had been dealer equipped with alarms (for an extra $599.) Almost all had dead batteries when I went there. The ones that didn't they couldn't figure out how to start. That sold me on not getting a factory alarm. Your problem sounds to me like there is something wrong with the factory alarm draining the battery. I had thought that dealership just had problems being parked next to the freeway and the noise was setting them off but that might not be the case.

Now why your charger didn't maintain it I ain't got a clue.